New Electronic Arts CEO promises amazing games, culture of execution

Newly minted Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson has released a statement outlining his general vision for the future of everyone’s favorite gaming giant. The whole thing is remarkably on the generic side, and if it wasn’t for the word ‘games’ showing up a few times it would be difficult to tell exactly what business Electronic Arts is in. On the expected side, Wilson mentions one goal will be to continue the company’s transition to the digital age – presumably meaning direct-download and online services, which continue to eclipse the role of brick and mortar stores with every passing month. On the less expected side, Wilson said one of his focuses will be “Instilling a culture of execution that will drive profitable growth.” I’m not completely sure what Wilson necessarily means by a “culture of execution”, but it sounds like annual performance reviews at Electronic Arts just got a whole lot more intimidating.

More seriously, whatever changes this means for Electronic Arts as a company seems completely opaque. The safe bet would be ‘more of the same’ – more Madden, more Battlefield, more Mass Effect, more Plants vs Zombies, and so on. Hopefully, this change will also affect the company’s interaction with its fans and consumers. We’ll see what awards Electronic Arts manages to pick up in the months ahead – and perhaps as importantly, what awards they manage to avoid.